Dreams, Reality and Second Chances
by Starry Glyph
Summary: Sequel to "Cara's Homecoming". Cara, Dahlia and Zedd are journeying to Aydindril for Richard's and Kahlan's wedding but Darken Rahl has other plans.
1. Chapter 1

Cara was fighting against Richard. They had sparred many times before but this was different. Just as when she had first met Richard, Cara was trying to kill him. Cara attacked Richard with a number of different moves but he blocked them all. He knocked Cara to her knees and raised the Sword of Truth to deliver the final blow. But Richard hesitated and Cara used the opening to strike him with her Agiel. But she hit something on Richard's belt that exploded. Richard cried out but was otherwise unharmed. Out of the corner of her eyes Cara saw Kahlan fighting against a Mord-Sith. But it was not just any Mord-Sith, it was Dahlia. Kahlan had knocked Dahlia to her knees and had her hand on Dahlia's throat. Cara saw the agony of Confession overtake Dahlia. Cara cried out Dahlia's name but then Cara was hit on the head and everything went black.

Cara awoke with a start. It was a quiet night. All Cara could hear was Zedd's snoring. They were camped outdoors on a pleasant summer's evening. Cara had to remind herself that they were now traveling to Aydendril for Richard's and Kahlan's wedding. The reason that Zedd and Cara were not with Richard and Kahlan was that Zedd had insisted that Cara take a detour to Stowecroft to reconnect with her sister and her family. Given what had happened the last time Cara had visited Stowecroft, Zedd had stayed behind to ensure that everything remained peaceful. Cara had thought this visit a crazy idea but it had gone far better than she had thought possible. Not only had she gotten reacquainted with her sister Grace but she had also gotten to know her niece Ella. Things had gone so well that Cara had pledged to make a return visit as soon as her duties to the Seeker and Mother Confessor permitted it and Cara was actually looking forward to the time when she could see Grace and Ella again.

Even more remarkable was that Cara had met Dahlia, a childhood friend who rather uniquely for a woman was a soldier in the Stowecroft Guard. Cara and Dahlia had hit it off almost immediately and had become lovers. Further shortly before Cara was to leave Stowecroft, Dahlia professed her love for Cara. Though part of Cara still thought that love was a weakness, another part of Cara realized that she might be in love with Dahlia as well. Rather than leave Dahlia behind, Cara had enlisted Dahlia to work with her in serving Richard and Kahlan. Dahlia was now traveling with Zedd and Cara to Aydindril.

Though this all was an unexpected pleasure, several things were going on that Cara found quite puzzling. For one thing ever since the Plains of Girgalar, Zedd kept smiling at her and had been more supportive than he had been before. When she had introduced Zedd to Dahlia, Zedd had reacted with surprise, yet somehow already knew her name. When Cara had challenged Zedd about this, he claimed that he had seen her in a vision. Since they had left Stowecroft Zedd was smiling at them even more than before and seemed very pleased with himself. Cara knew that the vision story was nonsense but she couldn't figure out what was really going on.

Then there was the dream. When she had first had it, she thought that perhaps it was a vision of the future but how could someone as old as Dahlia ever be made a Mord-Sith? Now she had had the dream three nights in a row. It was exactly the same every night and it seemed so real. It was beginning to bother Cara. How could she ever turn against Richard, she would rather die. And it was hard to see Dahlia suffer. In the back of her mind part of the old Cara saw the fact that she was so affected by this dream as confirmation of the weakness that results from caring for someone else. But for the rest of Cara this only confirmed what she already knew deep down—she was in love with Dahlia. As she had this thought she looked at Dahlia who was standing watch. Dahlia saw that Cara was sitting up and came over to her.

"Let me take over your watch," Cara said, "I'm done sleeping."

"I think I can help you get back to sleep," Dahlia said with a smile.

Cara glanced over at Zedd but Dahlia said, "Zedd is a very sound sleeper."

After a moment's hesitation Cara said, "I guess we will find out." She grabbed Dahlia's belt, pulled her down and started kissing her.


	2. Chapter 2

At about the same time in a nearby Mord-Sith temple there was the whine of an Agiel as it was pressed against the abdomen of a prisoner. The prisoner was Nicci, chained to the ceiling, hanging several feet off the floor. She was half-naked but was wearing a Rada-Han. The man applying the Agiel was none other than Darken Rahl, former lord of D'Hara. Rahl was growing frustrated. It was taking far longer than he had hoped to break Nicci. He needed control of Nicci's great magical powers if he were ever to hope to reclaim D'Hara.

The only force that remained loyal to him were the Mord-Sith. They were devoted but had their limitations. Not only were they relatively few in number but most were quite young and had limited combat skills since their early training emphasized compliance instead. This meant that many Mord-Sith did not survive their first combat. In the past this did not matter since combat was not the primary purpose of the Mord-Sith. Rather the bulk of the combat was performed by legions of D'Haran soldiers. Now many legions had disbanded and those that remained were fighting amongst themselves at the behest of various generals who were acting like petty warlords.

In order to reclaim control of the remaining legions and to rebuild the D'Haran army, Darken Rahl would need not only Nicci's powers but to make the Mord-Sith a more effective fighting force. This latter would require an expert leader. In the past the best leaders were those in their mid-20s, who had enough skill and determination to survive their early battles and yet still retained the fire of youth. Leaders such as Denna, Cara, or Garen. At the moment, the Mord-Sith were under the command of Alina who was remarkable in her own way. She was by the far the oldest Mord-Sith, having survived into her early 40s. She had a steady competence that had allowed her to keep the Mord-Sith intact while Darken Rahl had been dead but she did not have the brilliance and drive that was now required.

Denna, Rahl knew was dead. He had seen her in the Underworld, killed by Cara herself. They had revived Garen with the Breath of Life at the same time they had revived Nicci. But Garen had still been confessed and indeed the Mord-Sith that had revived her had become confessed as well. It had been necessary to kill them both.

In the case of Cara it would have been better if she had been dead since instead she was in the service of his half-brother Richard. Not only did he miss her leadership skills but she was skilled in other areas as well. As was his prerogative, he had bedded most of the Mord-Sith but for many of them it was clear that they were only performing their duty while most of the rest were overly obsequious in their desire to please. Cara on the other hand was as skillful and fiery in bed as she was on the battlefield yet her sharp and sometimes biting remarks were a pleasant contrast to the toadying that he was usually subjected to. Though Richard had piously claimed that he was loyal to Kahlan, Rahl had no doubt that Richard was availing himself of his prerogatives as "Lord Rahl" when it came to Cara, especially since Kahlan's confessor powers made her off limits. Rahl was sure that if only he could lure Cara back, he could rebreak her in no time.

Rahl had to do something and soon. Now that they had found the Stone of Tears and closed the Tear in the Veil, Richard, Kahlan, Zedd and Cara were heading to Aydindril. No doubt Kahlan intended to begin ruling from there backed up by the Council of Aydindril. Such an alternative form of government posed a serious threat to his plans to reinstate his rule over D'Hara. The combination of Kahlan, Richard, Zedd and Cara would make a far more dangerous opponent than any rogue D'Haran general.

His spies had discovered that Cara and Zedd had split off from Kahlan and Richard. They had just finished spending a week in Stowecroft. Apparently Cara had gone to see her old family. Rahl could not help shaking his head at Cara's indulging in such foolish sentimentality. It just showed how weak and soft she had become serving Richard. Richard and Kahlan were now half way to Aydindril, well beyond Rahl's reach but Cara and Zedd had been spotted only three days ago walking through Stowecroft on their way out of town. They must still be somewhere close.

Rahl had a thought. If Cara were really indulging in such sentimentality with regards to family there might be a way to lure her back and then she could be rebroken. He sent for Alina.


	3. Chapter 3

Two nights later Cara was on watch. She had gladly volunteered for the first watch. Anything to delay falling asleep and having what had become her nightly dream. She still had no idea of what to make of the dream. She tried to relax and just enjoy the quiet of the night but then she heard a sound in the woods behind her. She recognized it as a signal used by Mord-Sith. She drew her Agiels. The signaling was moving away from the camp. Cara moved quickly and stealthily to find these Mord-Sith. Then suddenly a Mord-Sith stepped out from behind a tree.

"Hello Cara."

"Alina, what are you doing here?"

"Just want to have a talk." Alina held up her empty hands. "You'll have no need for your Agiels."

"And what about your friends?" referring to the other Mord-Sith that she saw trying to hide, scattered around in the woods.

"Oh they're just youngsters; they wouldn't last five seconds in a fight against you. Besides they're under orders to let us talk in peace. So come let's walk for a few minutes, I promise no one will try anything." After a moment, Alina went on, "Your sisters miss you Cara."

The truth was that Cara did miss the camaraderie of the Mord-Sith. After all, she had spent almost her entire adult life with the Mord-Sith and had fought many battles with them. She respected many of the more senior Mord-Sith such as Alina. The problem was that their efforts had been in the service of Darken Rahl and much of what she had accomplished for him was pure evil. It had taken Richard to show her this uncomfortable fact. Kahlan and Zedd had further helped her to find a better path. She wasn't going back now. "I serve the true Lord Rahl, Alina. Why did the Mord-Sith even stay together after Darken Rahl's death?"

Alina smiled a little, "I've been a Mord-Sith too long to be anything else." Waving to her leather outfit, Alina said, "This is how I'm going to be buried. I notice that even you haven't given up wearing red leather."

Cara smiled a little herself, "As you say, I will be a Mord-Sith until I die. But what about these youngsters, I would have thought they might have been harder to keep together."

"You're right," Alina said, "Not long after we got word of Rahl's death, one of the youngsters tried to go back home. Her name was Sara. She was a pretty young thing, you would have liked her. She chose her moment well and got a half days start before I discovered she was missing. I took a force of Mord-Sith and went after her but we couldn't catch up until we reached her village. We found her hanging from a tree, a rope around her neck. We rounded up the villagers. It didn't take long to get them to confess to the lynching. It turned out her own family had turned her in."

Cara involuntarily shuddered. It was all too similar to what had happened to her in Stowecroft. With Kahlan's hand on her throat, she had come within seconds of suffering a similar fate.

Alina laughed a little, "Of course, it couldn't have turned out better, if I had arranged it myself. After that I didn't have any more trouble with Mord-Sith trying to go back home. On the other hand, I couldn't let this attack on a Mord-Sith go unpunished, so we killed all of the villagers and burned the place to the ground. After that the locals made sure to give our temple a wide-berth."

There was sudden commotion and some Mord-Sith brought in a prisoner. "We found her lurking nearby." They threw Dahlia to the ground.

Dahlia had gotten up and hadn't been able to find Cara. Then she heard some voices in the distance and had followed them. Unfortunately, she had left her sword in camp and was overpowered by the Agiels of the Mord-Sith. As she was thrown to the ground, she call out, "Cara."

Alina got a somewhat bemused look, "Is this another one of your playthings? What tavern did you find her in? Dressing her up as a man? Are you getting into role playing now?"

Cara felt it was best that Alina not know that Dahlia was actually a soldier or how much she meant to Cara, so she played along, "I found her back in Stowecroft." So as to not show her concern about Dahlia, Cara changed the subject, "Come Alina, you didn't come here just to chit-chat. Why are you really here?"

"Always eager to get to the point, Darken Rahl liked that about you. Speaking of which, I bring you a message from him. Now that he has returned from the dead he has had to give up any thought of returning to power." Alina had no trouble saying this last part with a straight face. She was very used to speaking Darken Rahl's lies. "He has been focusing instead on family and in particular his son who as it turns out is your son as well."

Cara's first reaction was to say "the child means nothing to me," but after having just spent time in Stowecroft getting to know her niece Ella, Cara wasn't sure she could say it convincingly. Before she could say anything, Dahlia interjected, "You had a son with Darken Rahl."

Alina looked at Dahlia and with a slight sneer said, "Yes, she was always one of his favorites, you should feel privileged to have gotten to share her."

For a moment Cara didn't say anything. This was an embarrassing part of her past that she had hoped Dahlia would never know. Like all Mord-Sith Cara's duties required her to "pleasure" Darken Rahl. She had always found him to be a bit of a pig, not that she let him know what she thought. Rather quite the opposite, she had learned to be quite seductive and made sure he was never disappointed. It was hardly surprising that she became one of his favorites or that she became pregnant given the frequency with which she had carried out her duties. The child had been taken from her at birth to be trained to fight for D'Hara. She had blocked him out of her memories until now. Finally she said, "It was considered an honor to be chosen by Lord Rahl." Cara preferred this lie to the humiliation of the truth.

Alina continued, "Lord Rahl would like to raise his son with the help of his mother. He realizes that you performed a valuable role in helping the Seeker (Alina had a hard time saying this word without adding a little distain) close the Tear in the Veil but now that your task is done he would like you to join him. Lord Rahl could use your protection as there are people who would like to settle old scores. Once they find out that Lord Rahl has a son, the boy could be at risk as well."

Cara had no doubt that this latter part was true.

"You belong with your Sisters, Cara."

Cara had no intention of rejoining the Mord-Sith or serving Darken Rahl ever again. But she could not allow her son to be raised by Darken Rahl either. The best plan seemed to be to play along and choose the right moment to take her son and escape back to Richard. For now she had to make sure that no harm came to Zedd or Dahlia. As she thought of Zedd she looked back toward their camp.

Alina saw Cara's look and said, "Don't worry, we know you are traveling with the wizard Zeddicus Zul Zorander. We are under strict orders not to harm the wizard." Alina knew that this was another lie but by the time Cara found out it would be too late. "Come with us now without going back to your camp. That way there will be no chance of any unpleasant encounters with the wizard."

"OK," Cara said. Looking at Dahlia, she said, "I'm done with you now. You can go back to Stowecroft or maybe the wizard can find a use for you." It was hard for Cara to be this cruel to Dahlia but this way Alina wouldn't think twice about her."

"Cara," Dahlia said with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, it looks like you've broken another heart, Cara," Alina said. Looking at Dahlia, she said, "Funny how they always think they're special."

"Let's getting going," Cara said in a matter-of-fact manner, masking her own sorrow at hurting and leaving Dahlia.

The Mord-Sith all turned and marched away, leaving Dahlia on her knees crying.


	4. Chapter 4

Dahlia spent some time wandering the woods crying. She had been rejected by lovers before but this rejection was by far the cruelest. She did not know what she was going to do. She certainly could not go back to Stowecroft. As she got close to their camp, she suddenly heard the whine of an Agiel and Zedd cried out. She ran up to a bush near the edge of the camp, making more noise than she should have but Zedd's cries drown out the sound. She saw three Mord-Sith repeatedly striking Zedd with their Agiels.

Darken Rahl had made clear to Alina that not only was she to bring Cara back for retraining but that the wizard was to be killed. Zedd was the only wizard powerful enough to possibly challenge Nicci's magical abilities. His death would be a serious blow to Kahlan's and Richard's plans to establish a strong government in Aydindril.

Alina had the three Mord-Sith conceal themselves near the camp with instructions to wait a full hour after Alina had left with Cara before they attacked the wizard. This way there would be no chance of Cara hearing Zedd's screams. As Alina would say these three Mord-Sith were just inexperienced "youngsters" but against Zedd they were all that was needed. However powerful Zedd might be in other circumstances, in a fight with Mord-Sith he was just a frail old man.

The Mord-Sith were enjoying themselves and one of the Mord-Sith taunted the wizard, "Darken Rahl ordered us to kill you but he didn't say we had to be quick about it." Like a cat playing with a mouse, the Mord-Sith struck him again and again, while making sure not to inflict any serious damage. Not yet anyway.

Dahlia worked her way around the edge of the camp until she was near her bedroll which was where she had left her sword. Dahlia then ran towards her sword, dove and rolled in one motion to pick up the sword, remove it from its sheaf, and return to her feet. The Mord-Sith were slow to react and the nearest one had just turned to face Dahlia as she brought her sword down to cleave her head. The other two Mord-Sith slowly advanced on Dahlia. One of them then impetuously charged Dahlia but she easily dodged her attacker and slashed her across her throat. Though the Mord-Sith wore neck protection, leather was no match for steel. The last Mord-Sith nervously stood her ground as Dahlia advanced on her. Then the Mord-Sith tried to strike her but though the Agiel could inflict great pain, it was short and easily parried. Dahlia slipped her sword past the Agiel and thrust it into her heart. The Mord-Sith fell to the ground. Dahlia put her boot on her chest and drew her sword out of her.

It was all over in what seemed to be an instant. It was hardly a fight at all. These Mord-Sith had very poor fighting skills. Dahlia had never killed a woman before. Now she had killed three. She looked down at the slain Mord-Sith. She was so young. At least she had given her a quick death. Dahlia had an uncomfortable thought that under different circumstances, Cara might have wound up the same way. At least Dahlia had saved Zedd. She went over to the wizard who was trying to clear his head after this prolonged attack.

"Thank goodness you were here," Zedd said. Then he looked around and asked, "Where's Cara?"

Tears returned to Dahlia's eyes, "She's left us."

"Left us? Where? Why?"

"I found her talking to some Mord-Sith. There was an older one that Cara seemed to know."

"Alina," Zedd thought, he had encountered her several times in the past.

"Darken Rahl sent Cara a message that he wants her help in raising their son. Did you know that Cara had a son with Darken Rahl?"

"Her son is dead, Rahl killed him the day he was born so that he wouldn't grow up to be a rival."

"Dead? How do you know that?"

"Cara told me."

"If Cara knows her son is dead, why did she leave?"

"Cara doesn't know."

Dahlia gave Zedd an exasperated look. Clearly the attack had addled Zedd. "But you just said that Cara told you so how can she not know?"

"It's complicated, just trust me. This must be a trap."

"A trap! We have to go and save her."

Zedd hesitated. Charging into a Mord-Sith temple was the last place that Zedd wanted to go. He could still feel the pain from the Agiels and he had memories of being a prisoner in a Mord-Sith temple even if it was two realities ago.

"Zedd!" Dahlia said, she grabbed him and shook him back to reality.

"You said that Cara was concerned about her son."

"Yes, what difference does that make if he's dead?"

"It makes all the difference in the world." Zedd had many memories from two realities ago. One of the more striking ones was Cara's lack of concern about her son. Clearly the trip to Stowecroft had changed Cara for the better. He couldn't allow Cara to suffer as a result especially since taking Cara to Stowecroft was all Zedd's doing. "You're right we need to rescue Cara. Let me think for a minute."

Zedd walked around looking at the slain Mord-Sith. "You're rather good with a sword. If we are going to save Cara, you're going to have to play a major role."

"Yes, I am good with a sword but not good enough to attack a Mord-Sith temple on my own."

"We may not need to attack the temple. Looking at the Mord-Sith that Dahlia had killed last, Zedd said, "I think she might be about your size, why don't you try on her outfit."

"You want me to impersonate a Mord-Sith. Even if it does fit, what about that," Dahlia said, point to the gash in the leather made by her sword.

"I can stich that up and we can wash off the blood. We don't have to worry about blood stains, that is why the Mord-Sith wear red leather."

"What about my hair?" she said pointing to her short-cropped reddish hair.

"I think we might borrow her braid as well."

"She's a blond."

"Yes, I did notice that. Rahl might detect the spell if I change your hair color magically but fortunately I have other resources, a recipe used by my mother will do the trick."

"And are you going to impersonate a Mord-Sith as well?" Dahlia asked somewhat sarcastically.

"No, I have a harder role to play. I'm going to be your prisoner."


	5. Chapter 5

Cara slowly regained consciousness. She had been attacked shortly after entering the temple. It had been easy for Cara to knock down the Mord-Sith who came at her but Alina put up a much better fight. Cara was overwhelmed by the other Mord-Sith and the last thing she remembered was the pain of the Agiels and a blow to the head. She was chained to the ceiling and her red leather outfit had been removed. As her vision cleared she saw Darken Rahl standing in front of her. He touched her chin and said, "Welcome home, Cara, your Sisters and I have missed you."

"What do you want with me?"

"Isn't it obvious? I want you back on my side."

Cara's recurring dream had been disturbing but it was nothing compared to the horror of this reality. She had sworn that she would never serve Rahl again. Suddenly and with great clarity she knew what had happened to her son. "You killed our son on the day he was born, didn't you?"

Rahl chucked a little bit, "I couldn't risk the little bastard growing up to challenge my authority could I?"

Cara looked to her left and saw a figured hanging, chained up like herself. "Nicci."

"Yes, Cara, though you killed her with your usual great efficiency, my Mord-Sith were able to revive her. Her powers form an essential part of my plan to regain control of D'Hara."

"The Seeker and Mother Confessor will never allow that."

"It's true that they pose a serious threat to my ambitions but once I have you leading my Mord-Sith, I will be ready to go on the offensive. Furthermore, thanks to you, by now the great wizard Zeddicus Zul Zorander should have met his unfortunate end."

"Zedd," Cara said with concern.

"Oh, Cara you have grown soft and weak serving the Seeker. That was the only way I could have lured you here so easily. Too bad the wizard had to pay the price for your weakness."

Unfortunately Cara had to agree with Rahl. Going to Stowecroft had been a big mistake. All of her concern for others had just led her to make mistake after mistake.

Rahl walked over and picked up an Agiel. "Let's get started, why don't we."

"What makes you think you can break me. You don't seem to have had much success with Nicci."

"Yes she has turned out to be a bit of a problem. Maybe after I break you I can have you break Nicci for me." Rahl walked over to Cara.

Cara wanted to say that she would never break but she knew all too well that eventually everyone breaks. She would prefer to die but even that was not an option. The Breath of Life could revive her again and again. Her only hope was to make the ordeal as long as possible and maybe Richard might rescue her. As Rahl got close to her, she spit in his face. But, Rahl just calmly smiled and pressed the Agiel into her side.


	6. Chapter 6

Dahlia and Zedd approached the entrance to the Mord-Sith temple. Dahlia found wearing the Mord-Sith outfit confining but strangely familiar. Zedd hands were in chains. He limped along, his face showing the bruises from where he had had her hit him. He also had a burn mark near his temple that was characteristic of an Agiel. Zedd hadn't been sure that Dahlia would even be able to hold the Agiel due to the pain it causes even its user but Dahlia had found it surprisingly easy even if it had been hard for her to hurt Zedd. He had insisted, however, saying that they had to make it look real.

There were two Mord-Sith at the entrance. One of them challenged them, "Halt, who goes there?"

"I have an important prisoner for Lord Rahl, the wizard Zeddicus Zul Zorander."

As they got close to the entrance, the Mord-Sith said, "I don't recognize you, who are you?"

Dahlia knocked her to her knees with the back of her hand, "I am Mistress Dahlia. Now where is Lord Rahl?" Zedd had given her some advice on how to act as a Mord-Sith and he had to admit she was doing a very good job.

"Forgive me Mistress, he is in the dungeon breaking the traitor, Cara."

Dahlia said, "Stay at your post, I can find my own way."

As they moved farther from the entrance, they encountered a number of different passageways.

Zedd said, "Let me see if I can remember the way."

"It is this way, Dahlia said decisively.

Dahlia quickly led them into the interior of the temple. Zedd marveled at her knowledge and had an uneasy thought. However, given the gravity of the situation he decided to take advantage of it now and worry about what it might mean later.

They soon reached the dungeon and heard the whine of an Agiel. For a second, Dahlia was taken aback at the sight of Cara hanging from the ceiling, her body bruised but she soon got back into character. "Lord Rahl, I bring you the wizard as a prisoner." She made a show of dragging Zedd over to Rahl as a pretext to get closer to him and Cara.

"A prisoner? I thought I ordered you to have him killed," Rahl said looking at Alina.

"You did my Lord." Looking at Dahlia, Alina said, "Why did you bring him back as a prisoner?" Alina was momentarily confused as she tried to figure out why she couldn't remember the name of this Mord-Sith. But then she recognized her. "She isn't a Mord-Sith, kill her."

Dahlia cried out, "Now Zedd." Zedd had her sword tied to his back, hidden by his loose robes. He pulled it out and tossed it to her.

Other than Alina, there were two other Mord-Sith in the room, both Rahl's personal guards. Dahlia was able to cut down the one closest to her before she could react. The other one advanced on Dahlia and was a much better fighter than the other Mord-Sith Dahlia had fought against. The Mord-Sith drove Dahlia back and then managed to hit her in the side with her Agiel. This was usually the end of any combat since the agony caused by the Agiel was so great that the opponent collapsed and was quickly disposed of. However, though the Agiel caused Dahlia great pain, it wasn't enough to stop her and she brought her sword down on the Mord-Sith at the place where her neck met her shoulder, ending the fight.

In the meantime, Zedd had taken off the chains that had never been locked and raised his arm to finish Rahl off with Wizard's Fire. However, Alina stepped in front of Rahl so Zedd had to refrain from releasing his magic. Zedd maneuvered around the room trying to get a clear shot at Rahl but Alina made sure to block his aim as she and Rahl slowly worked their way back to the door on the other side of the room. As they reached the door a force of six Mord-Sith entered the room, responding to the disturbance. "Kill her,"Alina ordered, pointing at Dahlia. Alina knew that these "youngsters" would stand little chance against what was clearly a very dangerous warrior but their deaths would buy them the time she needed to get Rahl safely away.

The first two Mord-Sith charged Dahlia but she dispatched them in short order. Dahlia advanced on the remaining four who stood their ground but were not foolish enough to charge her. However, Cara, who Zedd had just released, shouted, "Dahlia, wait."

Dahlia stopped. Cara even though she was still half-naked, walked towards the Mord-Sith and commanded, "Put your Agiels away."

The Mord-Sith did not know what to do but still kept their Agiels out maintaining a defensive position. As Cara got close to them the Mord-Sith closest to her turned and pointed her Agiel at Cara. In what seemed like one motion, Cara knocked the Agiel out of her hand and into the air, caught it out of the air, hit the Mord-Sith on the side of the head, knocking her to her knees and then put the Agiel into its holder on this Mord-Sith's belt.

Cara again commanded, "I said put your Agiels away or this is going to be your last minute alive."

The Mord-Sith grew more hesitant but one said, "At least it will be an honorable death." But then she added less certainly, "What choice do we have, our old live are gone."

Cara said, "Yes, your old lives are gone. You will be Mord-Sith for the rest of your lives, however long or _short_, those lives may be. However, you don't have to serve Darken Rahl anymore. I am a Mord-Sith but I serve the true Lord Rahl, Richard Rahl the Seeker. You decide, serve the Seeker under my command, or die now serving Darken Rahl.

It took only a second before the three Mord-Sith to put their Agiels away and stood at attention. Cara pulled the fourth Mord-Sith up from her knees and commanded, "Get my clothes, now."

Meanwhile Zedd had released Nicci from her chains but she was still only semi-conscious. Cara walked over to her and picked up a knife. "At least I can finish what I started." She raised the knife to dispatch Nicci but Zedd said, "No, Cara."

She gave Zedd an angry look, "Why not? After all she did to Richard and Kahlan she deserves it."

"Yes she does but with the Rada-Han she is fairly harmless. I can't see killing her in cold blood. We'll keep her as a prisoner so Rahl doesn't get his hands on her again.

"She escaped from a Rada-Han once before," Cara said somewhat angrily, "this is a bad idea," but she put the knife down.

The Mord-Sith returned with Cara's clothes and she got dressed as quickly as a Mord-Sith can. During this time Cara found out about the attack on Zedd and how he was saved by Dahlia. Cara cursed herself for believing Alina's lies and swore that the next time she saw Alina she would kill her. Otherwise Cara was standoffish with Zedd and especially with Dahlia.

After Cara was dressed they searched the rest of the temple. They discovered that Darken Rahl and Alina had fled taking a number of Mord-Sith with them. But they had fled so quickly that six Mord-Sith had been left behind. With Cara explaining their options they quickly decided to join the ranks of the other four Mord-Sith and serve the Seeker under Cara's command. They also found a group of young girls that had been recently captured by the Mord-Sith. They were released back to the care of their grateful families.

They also discovered that Darken Rahl had been stockpiling a large quantity of Dragon's Breath at the Temple. After taking what food and water they needed for their journey, Zedd fashioned a long fuse that ran to the entrance of the temple. After they were all a safe distance away, Zedd used Wizard's Fire to light the fuse. There was soon a large explosion and the temple collapsed. They then all headed off on their journey to Aydindril.


	7. Chapter 7

Two days later, they had camped for the night. They had made good time and Cara managed to keep the Mord-Sith and Nicci under control. However, she had said hardly anything to Dahlia. Initially Dahlia thought that Cara would come around. Zedd had told Dahlia that he was sure that what Cara had said to her was just Cara's way of protecting Dahlia from Alina and the other Mord-Sith. Dahlia had hoped that this was true. Even after they had rescued Cara, Dahlia tried to believe that Cara's continuing attitude was just the aftermath of her being tortured but by now she had given up. If Cara wanted to be this way then so be it. Dahlia was done crying about Cara. She had demonstrated her fighting capabilities to Zedd and she was sure that when they reached Aydindril, Zedd would be able to find her a position where she could employ her skills.

Cara had taken first watch. She felt a special concern about overseeing the Mord-Sith since she knew that Zedd could do nothing to control them. She was also concerned about Nicci and was still mad that Zedd wouldn't let her kill her. Then there was the dream. One of the few advantages of being tortured was that it stopped her from having the dream but last night it had returned. Cara was not looking forward to sleeping tonight.

Cara heard a sound behind her and whirled around with her Agiels drawn. However, it was only Zedd.

"Good evening, Cara."

"Zedd, what are you doing up?"

"I think we need to have a little talk."

"OK, walk with me as I stand watch."

"Cara, what's going on between you and Dahlia?"

"Nothing," Cara said defensively.

"Exactly the problem," Zedd said. "I would have thought you would have been proud of her, saving both of us from Darken Rahl and the Mord-Sith."

"She did do well, but the fact that we needed rescuing at all is the problem. I've grown soft and weak traveling with you. The trip to Stowecroft only made it worse. That is the only way that Darken Rahl's trap could have succeeded. A year ago I would have never fallen for it."

"No a year ago you would have been leading the Mord-Sith against us. Cara, what you are talking about is not a weakness, it is a strength. You have chosen to fight for Richard instead of Darken Rahl. For good instead of evil. And now you showed a mother's concern for her child. If that's not what we are fighting for then I don't know what. Besides that doesn't explain why you are taking this out on Dahlia."

"She's another weakness. Another person to be concerned about."

"When Richard and Kahlan show concern for each other, are they showing weakness?"

Cara hesitated and then said, "No, but they're different, they're special."

"Yes they are special. But in your own way, Dahlia's and your love is special too."

"Who said anything about love?" Cara said defensively.

Zedd smiled a little, "I may be an old man but I'm not so old as to not remember what two people in love look like. Besides I know that you and Dahlia are destined to be together, you need to trust me on this."

Here again was another one of those strange things that Zedd had been saying ever since the Plains of Gilgalar. Cara was going to press Zedd on why he seemed so certain about their relationship but then Dahlia woke up suddenly, and sat up, breathing heavily. Cara went over to Dahlia. "Are you OK?"

"What do you care?"

Cara had to admit that she had that coming, "I may not be very good at showing it but I do care." She sat down next to Dahlia, "Please, tell me what has upset you."

"It was just a dream, no big deal."

"A dream?" Cara said concerned, "Tell me more."

"I killed you, OK."

"Well the way I've acted the last few days, it's no wonder."

"No you don't understand, it wasn't really me and it wasn't really you. I was a Mord-Sith. I was in command of other Mord-Sith and at my signal they fired arrows and killed you."

"Why were Mord-Sith attacking other Mord-Sith?"

"That's the thing, you weren't a Mord-Sith. You were a schoolteacher and a widow with two kids. You lived on this little farm and you even wore this silly pink dress."

"A schoolteacher and a widow? It's a good thing that you killed me."

"Don't make light of it," Dahlia said seriously. "I was so satisfied when the arrows hit you and I saw you spasm and die. I don't know how I could be so cold."

"I do," Cara said seriously, "That is the way a Mord-Sith is. I told you that if Kahlan had executed me at Stowecroft, it would have been nothing but what I deserved."

"But you're not that way now."

Cara hesitated and then said, "No, I'm not that way now." She looked at Zedd expecting him to have another one of his self-satisfied looks at having effected Cara's and Dahlia's reconciliation but she instead she saw the he was seriously concerned. Cara had an idea and said, "Dahlia, I've been having a strange dream as well. Let me tell it to you." While Cara recounted her story, she kept an eye on Zedd and saw that his concern only deepened.

Finally Cara got up and walked over to Zedd. "OK, you obviously know about our dreams, what is going on?"

"I didn't know you two were having these dreams until now. The ancient texts didn't mention that this could happen."

"It's not just the dreams," Dahlia said, having walked over to where Cara and Zedd were talking, "Zedd knew your son was dead before we went to the Mord-Sith temple. He even said that you were the one who had told him."

Cara looked sharply at Zedd, "This is magic, isn't it. What have you done?"

"Quite a lot but I'm not sure what I should tell you," Zedd said.

That's not all," Dahlia said, "When I was in the Mord-Sith temple, it was strangely familiar. It was like I had been there many times before."

"You've changed our lives, haven't you," Cara said.

"Yes," Zedd said wearily.

"Why us?" Cara said.

"As I said, you're both special in your own way."

"You mean I really was a Mord-Sith?" Dahlia said.

"Yes," Zedd said, "Trust me, you're much nicer now." Given what she remembered of her dream killing Cara, Dahlia had no doubt that this was true.

"Does that mean I really was a schoolteacher? Why don't I remember it?"

"Because I performed the spell twice, first on you and then on Dahlia. Apparently you only remember your previous life if I performed the spell directly on you."

"What now?" Cara asked.

"I don't know," Zedd said, "Why don't you let me think about it. For now let's get some rest." Zedd walked back to his blanket and lay down.

Cara and Dahlia gave each other resigned shrugs. It was obvious that they were not going to get anything more out of Zedd tonight even though they both had many more questions. Then Cara said, "Come walk with me while I stand watch."

"Sure." After they had walked a little bit, Dahlia added, "I don't know what is harder to believe, that I was a Mord-Sith or that you were a schoolteacher."

"I do, I always thought you would make a good Mord-Sith." They walked in silence for a little while but then Cara said, "Look, I want to apologize for the way I've been acting. I'm annoyed that I fell into Darken Rahl's trap and I blamed the fact that it was my concern for others that caused it. I thought if I cut myself off from others then I would not make the same mistake again."

"And now?"

"Well, with the help of Zedd, who seems to have been far more involved in our lives than anyone could have imagined, I realized that I have to learn to still be an effective fighter while…" Cara paused for a second, "…loving someone."

Dahlia looked at Cara wanting to believe her but not knowing if she should. Cara smiled, pulled Dahlia over to her and started kissing. Dahlia started kissing Cara back and for a moment it looked like they were on their way to having some passionate make-up sex. But then Dahlia pulled herself away from Cara.

"Wait, wait," Dahlia said.

"What?" Cara said in an annoyed tone.

"Zedd may be a sound sleeper but what about all of them," Dahlia said, pointing to the sleeping Nicci and the Mord-Sith.

Cara cursed and then said, "You're right." She looked off into the nearby woods but then cursed again, "I would suggest our moving away from the camp but I don't see how we can leave Zedd here alone with all of these Mord-Sith."

Now it was Dahlia's turn to curse, "No we can't, you're right." After a moment she added, "I guess we will just have to wait until we get to Aydindril."

"Wait!? But it will be two weeks before we get there."

Dahlia smiled a little at Cara's discomfort, "Well at least we will be able to cuddle."

"Cuddle!?"

"Yes cuddle. You could use the practice." After a moment Dahlia grinned and said, "Besides I think you have the sex part down pat. You just need to work on the before and after. For now I'll walk with you and you can hold my hand."

Cara shook her head a little but then reached out and took Dahlia's hand.


	8. Chapter 8

The two weeks passed slowly but they did pass. As they traveled Zedd, after first swearing them to secrecy, told both Cara and Dahlia all that he knew about the prior versions of their lives. Now it was clear why Zedd thought that Cara and Dahlia belonged together since they had had a long relationship with each other two realities ago. It also made Cara realize that Zedd had had additional motives for taking her to Stowecroft and how it was that he had known Dahlia's name.

Cara had mixed feeling about the events at the end of that reality. On the one hand, she thought that confessing her to find out Darken Rahl's plans was the only reasonable option and could not fault Kahlan and Zedd for wanting to do just that. On the other hand, she could not help being a little disappointed that Kahlan wanted so readily to confess her and it reminded Cara of when they had first met and confession was Kahlan's way of dealing with any Mord-Sith problem. Cara had to remind herself that when Kahlan had the opportunity to confess her, she instead showed Cara mercy and spared her.

This made her appreciate Richard all the more. Only he had stood up for her and was willing to take great risks in order to save her. He was the Lord Rahl that was worthy of her loyalty and she would serve him to her death.

Cara was left with an uneasy feeling regarding Zedd. He was as kind to her as before and if anything more so now. But he had such great power and hubris to use it to completely change not only Cara's and Dahlia's lives but also the lives of every person in the Midlands. She was all the more conflicted because Zedd did all of this to help her (though at Richard's request).

For Dahlia, Zedd's stories were not very satisfying since he knew little about her other than in both prior lives she had been a Mord-Sith which was an interesting fact in and of itself. Dahlia was pleased that there was a prior life where she and Cara had known and loved each other for a long time.

Over the course of the two weeks both Cara's and Dahlia's dreams had started to fade. Instead both of them found that their past lives starting to filter into the waking world. They could not yet actually remember these lives but they both had strong impressions from them. For Cara the difference was not that great as these impressions had to do with Dahlia as her lover and a Mord-Sith.

For Dahlia these impressions like that of her dream gave her insight into the brutal life of a Mord-Sith. Cara, to maintain discipline and to train her Mord-Sith charges, started sparring with them in the evening. To train them to fight against soldiers armed with swords she had them spar with Dahlia as well. At one point Dahlia was fighting two on one. She knocked an Agiel out of one of her opponent's hand and Dahlia found that not only could she pick it up but she was able to out fight her other opponent using it and knock her to the ground. As Dahlia was standing over her she realized that she knew exactly where to hit her with the Agiel to cause what kind of pain and even knew that if she were to apply it to her heart she would kill her. At least this all gave her much greater empathy for Cara and the other Mord-Sith. As they trained the Mord-Sith there were times when Dahlia felt that she and Cara had suddenly acquired ten children.

One strange aspect of these two prior lives was that at the end of the first, Dahlia died and at the end of the second one, Cara died. Both Cara and Dahlia were grateful that they had wound up in a world where they both were still alive.


	9. Chapter 9

In Aydindril, Richard and Kahlan were overseeing some of their wedding preparations when suddenly the alarm was sounded at the main gate. They ran there quickly and met with the Captain of the Watch. He and the soldiers who now defended Aydindril had been Prince Fyren's men whom Richard convinced to serve the Mother Confessor and the Council of Aydindril.

"What's the problem?," Richard asked.

"There is a force of Mord-Sith approaching the gate."

Richard and Kahlan climbed a nearby tower and peered out at the figures in the distance. There were indeed ten Mord-Sith, marching two by two up the main road. However, Richard recognized the tall figure in the front with the long wizard's robes, though he could not recognize the woman beside him. Richard also recognized the Mord-Sith bring up the rear, marching with a soldier beside her.

"Have your men stand down captain," Richard said, "and open the main gate."

Richard and Kahlan went down and happily greeted Zedd as he came through the gate.

"Zedd, collecting Mord-Sith now?," Richard said with a grin.

"My boy, you were the one who started it," Zedd said with a smile. Then he added more seriously, "It is mainly Cara's doing. And we have collected more than just Mord-Sith." Zedd turned to reveal the woman behind him.

"Nicci!," Richard said with surprise.

"Hello Richard," Nicci responded, her eyes becoming distinctly more animated at the sight of Richard.

"I thought you were…"

"Dead. Yes, Zedd killed me the first time, Cara the second. Maybe you would like a turn."

"No Nicci," Richard said sincerely, "I am happy you're alive." Richard's and Nicci's past was complicated and he had a variety of mixed feeling regarding Nicci, including some embarrassment at having enjoyed a kiss with her but he certainly did not wish her dead.

The same could not be said for Kahlan who had twice been made Nicci's puppet. The fact that Nicci had wanted to take Richard as her consort as well as the way that Nicci now looked at Richard did nothing to dispel her desire for Nicci to be swiftly returned to the realm of the Keeper.

"Darken Rahl had his Mord-Sith revive Nicci," Zedd explained. "He was trying to break her so as to use her power to regain his rule of D'Hara. I'm afraid we may have to do something to stop him. In the meantime, I thought it important to keep Nicci out of Darken Rahl's hands. Cara wanted to solve the problem in her usual way but I preferred a less drastic approach."

"Of course," Richard said with a smile. "And who knows? Nicci was a Sister of the Light once. Maybe we can reach the good side of her again."

Nicci looked at Richard with a little scorn, "Oh Richard, that Nicci died a long time ago."

"We'll see," Richard replied. "You'll just have to learn that not everyone is looking for the opportunity to rape you."

"I look forward to your lessons," Nicci said somewhat seductively.

Richard could see how Kahlan was glaring at Nicci and decided it was best for them to move on and talk to Cara.

"Lord Rahl, Mother Confessor." Cara greeted them.

Richard smiled a little at the formal greeting and assumed that Cara was doing this for the benefit of the other Mord-Sith. "I see that you are accompanied by a number of Mord-Sith."

"Yes, Lord Rahl. I convinced them that they should serve you and not Darken Rahl."

"I'm sure you were very persuasive," Kahlan said with a smile.

"They will need a commander and I can think of no one better than you," Richard said.

"Thank you Lord Rahl. They are fairly young and will need additional training."

"No doubt you are the right person for that job," Richard said wryly. "We will find a separate barracks for them and find you quarters nearby."

"I see that you are accompanied by a soldier as well," Kahlan said, "Where did you meet him?"

"_Her_ actually. In Stowecroft."

"_Her_? A woman soldier?"

"Yes Mother Confessor. Her name is Dahlia. She is someone I knew in my childhood and she is a good soldier as well. If it weren't for her Zedd would be dead and I would still be being tortured by Darken Rahl in order to rebreak me."

"Really," Richard said. "Well any person who has saved the life of my grandfather is certainly welcome here. Would you like her to have quarters near you, Cara?"

"Actually Richard," Cara said, slightly embarrassed, dropping her voice a little, "I would prefer that she be quartered with me."

"With you?" Richard was puzzled for just a second but then gave a knowing smile, "Of course she can be quartered with you."

At this point Dahlia could not help herself and with a little grin said, "As the Mother Confessor said, Cara can be very persuasive."

"I have no doubt that she can be," Richard said with a smile.

For a moment Kahlan could not figure out exactly what was going on between Richard, Cara and Dahlia but then she got it. Kahlan was surprised that Cara had become involved with a woman. The only time she had seen Cara show any interest in a sexual relationship was with Leo. Even more surprising was that Richard was _not_ surprised. This fact continued to illustrate the special relationship that existed ever since they had gotten to know each other in the future. Kahlan was never sure that Richard had fully told her what had gone on between him and Cara and in the past such thoughts would sometimes bother Kahlan's jealous side. Now however, with Kahlan marrying Richard in just a few weeks, she could put such thoughts aside and just be happy for Cara that she had found someone to be with.

Kahlan looked at Dahlia and said, "I will be interested in hearing how you and Cara got to know each other in Stowecroft. For now, however, you all must be tired from your journey. Let's get you all something to eat and place to rest." With that they headed into Aydindril.


	10. Chapter 10

In the two weeks before Richard's and Kahlan's wedding, Cara drilled her Mord-Sith charges every day. Dahlia acted as Cara's second-in-command and took a major role in the training of the Mord-Sith. Cara's and Dahlia's first few evenings together were hardly restful and they found that given the extent of their activities during the daytime, they needed to pace themselves a little. They also found that even though they seemed to be destined to be together each one had certain little quirks that took some getting used to. Still for each of them this was the happiest time of their lives.

At the end of the first day of training, Richard stopped by to see how they were all settling in. Cara had them all stand at attention for Richard's inspection. Cara could tell that the Mord-Sith were expecting that one of them was going to be selected to provide for his evening's pleasure. They were surprised and a little relieved when all he did was formally welcome them to Aydindril and asked Cara that two of the Mord-Sith be assigned to guard Nicci at all times. He was concerned that somehow Nicci might break out of the Rada-Han and who better to deal with Nicci's great magical powers than a Mord-Sith.

Richard came by every day to see how Cara's training program was progressing. It took a few days before the Mord-Sith realized that Richard was not interested in their performing any "nighttime" duty. At the same time they were exposed to Richard's natural charm. In some ways he was similar to Darken Rahl but they soon realized that Richard was genuine whereas Darken Rahl charms were superficial, covering a far more sinister person.

About a week after their arrival at Aydindril, a Mord-Sith named Rachel approached Cara. "Is the Lord Rahl displeased with us?"

"Not at all. He is quite pleased with your progress."

"But it is a Mord-Sith's duty to serve Lord Rahl in every way, to meet all of his needs."

"I'm well aware of that. I have been a Mord-Sith far longer than you."

"Well—there are certain duties that we have yet to perform."

"Like what?"

"Darken Rahl would often select one or more Mord-Sith in the evening to help satisfy certain of his appetites."

"Yes, as I said, I served Darken Rahl many years, so I know what you mean but you needn't worry. Richard Rahl would never order you to perform such a duty."

Rachel hesitated for a second and then somewhat shyly said, "It wouldn't have to be an order. I'm would be happy to volunteer."

Cara now understood what Rachel was getting at and she had to suppress a little smile. She understood very well especially since at one time she had had a similar impulse. "You do know that Lord Rahl is soon to marry the Mother Confessor."

"What does that have to do with this? No doubt the Mother Confessor will be his wife. I just want to help him with his needs."

Cara had to suppress another smile. She was beginning to see that she and Rachel had a lot in common. "Richard Rahl is very loyal to the Mother Confessor. If you were to approach him on this subject, he would just turn you down." Again this was something that Cara knew from experience.

Rachel was puzzled, "How is that possible?"

"You will find that Darken Rahl and Richard Rahl are quite different people. And let me warn you, the Mother Confessor has a jealous streak. A Confessor is the last person a Mord-Sith should want to anger. So why don't you just stick to those duties that are required of you."

"Yes, Mistress," said a somewhat disappointed Rachel.

Afterwards this incident got Cara thinking about how these Mord-Sith still had not quite settled into their new lives. The next day, Cara suggested to Richard that perhaps there should be some formal ceremony for their entry into his service. Richard thought this was an excellent idea. He also told Cara of his initial plan for using these Mord-Sith. The remaining Mord-Sith were Darken Rahl's only power base. After the wedding and honeymoon, Richard wanted to lead Cara and his Mord-Sith to various of the other Mord-Sith temples to see if they could get more Mord-Sith to defect. He did have a concern that if a battle arose, it might be difficult to tell his Mord-Sith from those in the service of Darken Rahl. He had a suggestion for how to deal with this problem to which Cara readily agreed.

Though time was tight because of the approaching wedding, a few days later there was a formal ceremony that Richard, Kahlan, Zedd and the entire Council of Aydindril attended. Each Mord-Sith knelt before Richard and pledged her life to his service. As each one did so, Cara used a knife to cut off their braids. After they had finished their pledge and got back on their feet, they removed the parts of their Mord-Sith outfit that Cara no longer used. Soon all ten Mord-Sith looked like different versions of Cara. The ceremony was simple and lasted only about an hour. Afterwards Richard thanked each Mord-Sith personally for her pledge and then he had to go since in two days he was getting married.


	11. Chapter 11

The big day had finally arrived. The wedding started with a procession into the Great Hall of Aydindril. Richard was in the lead accompanied by his "best man" Cara. Richard was smiling and waving to the crowd. Though it had been suggested to Cara that she should also smile and wave, she instead marched stony-faced as if in a military parade. Behind Richard came the Council of Aydindril and behind them came a group of soldiers from the force that now guarded the city. The next group were the Mord-Sith led by Dahlia. Behind them were Kahlan's bridesmaids, Jennsen and Dennee. Finally came the bride herself accompanied by Zedd who was acting as the father of the bride. Kahlan's real father was attending the wedding but she still had too many hard feeling from her childhood to give him a larger role in the wedding and Kahlan had much more affection for Zedd than she had for him.

Everyone was dressed in finery excepting Zedd for whom his wizard's robes were always sufficient and the Mord-Sith including Cara who continued to wear their red leather. The sight of these Mord-Sith marching in the procession attracted as much attention as the bride and groom. Dahlia continued to wear men's clothes but her current outfit was by far the finest she had ever worn. The hardest person to dress had been the bride herself. Kahlan had been undecided about which of several outfits to wear. Surprisingly Zedd had provided the solution by suggesting an outfit that was not even one of the choices that Kahlan had been considering. It was a lovely beaded dress that left her shoulders bare and was completed with a jeweled circlet in her hair. Zedd kept to himself that the reason he knew she would like this dress was that he had already seen her get married in it in a previous reality.

At least this time, Darken Rahl would not be performing the ceremony. It was performed instead by the head of the Council of Aydindril. Cara was pleased to stand beside Richard as he and Kahlan exchanged their vows. Cara had always found Richard handsome and Kahlan beautiful but never more so than today. Cara gave Richard the ring which he put onto Kahlan's finger and they were pronounced husband and wife. Richard and Kahlan had a long passionate kiss. Such public displays of emotion made Cara uneasy and in the past she had looked away when Richard and Kahlan had kissed but this time, at Zedd's suggestion, she continued to watch and even tried to smile. The only blight on this otherwise joyous scene was Dennee. Though having been returned to life many months ago and raising Lucinda's child as her own had mellowed her somewhat, she could not help giving the woman who killed her a dirty look. This in turn reminded Cara that there were many things that she had done in the past that could never be forgiven.

After the wedding, the entire party moved into an adjoining hall for the reception. Cara was seated at the main table at its left end. Kahlan had thought it best to keep some distance between Cara and Dennee and had selected this arrangement so that Zedd, Richard and Kahlan herself were seated between the two. After a bounteous banquet it was time for the speeches. Dennee spoke first. She told of several amusing stories from her and Kahlan's childhood. She was followed by Jennsen who more seriously talked of Richard's and her mother.

Then it was time for the speech by the "best man." Trying to figure out what to say had been a very hard task for Cara. Traditionally such a speech should be somewhat humorous but Cara had never given a humorous speech in her life. Dahlia had been the one to suggest that perhaps Cara should speak from her heart and say what Richard and Kahlan mean to her. A public display of her feelings was so alien to Cara that she had tried seriously to come up with a humorous speech instead. But Dahlia had kept after Cara and slowly had gotten her to admit what she felt about Richard and Kahlan and eventually this formed the basis for her speech. As Cara stood up she looked out into the crowd and got an encouraging look from Dahlia who was seated at the table with the Mord-Sith.

"It is still early enough in the evening that you all should still be sober enough to be able to figure out that I am a Mord-Sith." Cara gestured to her red leather outfit and a few people chuckled. "In some ways it is quite remarkable that I am here tonight since by all rights I should be dead. When I first met Richard I tried to kill him. In the ensuing fight I was knocked unconscious. You all know what should have happened next. Richard should have finished me off. But Richard is too noble to kill a helpless opponent and merely disarmed me and went on his way. When I regain consciousness and found that I was still alive, I thought that Richard was foolish and weak. But it turned out that not only was he merciful but wise since we were in a predicament that could only be resolved by our working together. Afterwards when I had pledged myself to his service there were many who questioned whether it was wise for him to trust me but Richard always loyally defended me."

"As bad as my start with Richard was, with Kahlan it was even worse. There has never been any love lost between Mord-Sith and Confessors and it is hardly surprising that Kahlan's first thought was that I should be killed. This view was reinforced when she discovered that I had inflicted a great personal harm on her. Yet when she had the opportunity to execute me, a fate that I would have truly deserved, she also showed me mercy and allowed me to continue in Richard's service."

"Nor is that all. As a Mord-Sith I was taught that love was a weakness, and I would still believe that today if it were not for Richard and Kahlan. Traveling with and serving them for the past year I have gotten to see their love up close. It has not always been easy for them as there were many obstacles that tried to separate them. Yet even at times when it appeared that they could never be together, their love never wavered."

"So it is today that the couple that should have killed me instead invited me to their wedding. They have taught me the true meaning of love. So raise your glasses with me and toast-To the finest couple I know." Cara heart-felt speech greatly affected the crowd and they all loudly seconded Cara's toast.

Richard then rose to give his speech in response to the speeches that had been made. When he referred to Cara he said, "What Cara left out of her speech was the important fact that without her there would be no wedding today for the simple reason that both Kahlan and I would be dead. Over the past year, Cara saved my life at least twice and Kahlan's at least twice as well. Her deeds and loyal service have more than repaid any acts of mercy that we may have shown her."

After Richard's speech, the musicians started to play and Richard led Kahlan out onto the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife. After the first dance others joined them on the dance floor. Cara was quite content to stay sitting where she was. After some minutes Cara was surprised to be approached by Dennee.

"I want to say that I was affected by your speech tonight. I don't think that I can ever forgive you for what you did on Valeria."

"There is no reason that you should. What is worse is that that is hardly the most terrible thing I ever did in the service of Darken Rahl."

"Having seen you in action, I have no doubt that is true. Still Kahlan had told me that you have changed and tonight's speech showed that you have. Furthermore Kahlan says that not only have you saved her life, there was a time when you wanted to sacrifice your life for hers."

"Yes, but she foolishly wouldn't let me."

"Well since you're both still alive, maybe it wasn't so foolish. At any rate, I don't think that we will ever be friends but it pleases me that you are protecting my sister and her husband. I am happy that you are in their service." Dennee then turned and went back to her seat. Dennee's statements affected Cara though she tried hard not to show it.

As Cara continue to sit there it was becoming obvious that Dahlia hands were full trying to look after the Mord-Sith, who were unaccustomed to the relative freedom afforded by their service to Richard and to the easy access to wine provided at the wedding. Dahlia had to get two Mord-Sith away from some soldiers that they were flirting with. A few minutes later, Dahlia found two other Mord-Sith making out in a corner of the room. Finally Cara had had enough. As Cara strode across the room she encountered a Mord-Sith named Marcy staggering along. Cara stood in her way and Marcy crashed into her.

Marcy drunkenly looked up at Cara and said, "You're beautiful." She then tried to kiss Cara.

Cara pushed her away from her and said, "You're drunk. Stand at attention!"

In the face of Cara's glare, Marcy sobered up quickly. It wasn't long before Cara had all of the Mord-Sith standing at attention. Cara ordered Dahlia to take the Mord-Sith back to their barracks. Dahlia was disappointed to have to leave the festivities so early but she did as Cara wished.

Cara went back to her seat and continued to watch the dancing. She wondered how long this whole affair might continue. She had pledge to herself that she would not leave until after Richard and Kahlan. From the way they were enjoying themselves it didn't seem that they would be leaving anytime soon.

About fifteen minutes later Cara was surprised when she was approached by an out-of-breath Dahlia.

"Is everything OK?"

"Everything is fine. I just had the girls march at the double quick so I could get back here while the dancing was still going on. I'm not ready for the evening to be over yet. I haven't had a dance with you yet."

"I don't know how to dance."

"Funny that's not what Zedd said. He said that he gave you dancing lessons."

"And did he say I was an apt student?"

"Well—no. But there is a big difference between not knowing how to dance and not wanting to dance."

"I would rather fight Gar."

"Zedd said you might say that. Unfortunately for you, someone failed to invite any Gar to the wedding so I think your only option is to dance with me."

Dahlia then pulled Cara out on to the dance floor. The sight of these two women dancing together attracted much attention since for many it was the first time that they had ever seen two women dance together and it was certainly the first time that anyone had ever seen a Mord-Sith dance. Cara was not that good a dancer but surprisingly Dahlia was.

As they danced Cara asked, "How did you learn to dance so well? I didn't think that it was part of a soldier's training."

"It isn't. It was when I was living with my aunt and uncle. As I got older they began to suspect that I was not growing up to be a "proper" girl and they thought that dancing lessons might help resolve my "tendencies". As you well know their plan didn't work though I did learn to dance."

After a little while Dahlia said, "I was proud of your speech tonight."

"I couldn't have done it without your help."

As this dance ended, Zedd decided that Richard had monopolized Kahlan long enough and he took her hand for the next dance. Richard now without a partner looked around the room and saw Cara and Dahlia standing together. He hadn't had the chance to get to know Dahlia as well as he would like and went over and asked her for the next dance. Cara went and stood at the edge of the dance floor a little annoyed. She had just begun to enjoy dancing or at least to enjoy dancing with Dahlia and then Richard had butted in.

As they started dancing Dahlia said, "It was a lovely wedding."

"Thank you." After a few moments Richard went on, "I also want to thank you for your help with the Mord-Sith. I think they will be a valuable asset. And thank you for what you have done for Cara. I am quite fond of her and it pleases me to see her so happy."

"It is I that should thank you. As Cara said tonight, without your mercy, Cara should be dead several times over. And even if somehow Cara hadn't been killed, without your influence to change her for the better, she wouldn't be a person I would want to meet, let alone get to know."

Richard smiled and nodded.

"I also want to thank you for my life as well." Dahlia had been thinking about what would have happened if Richard hadn't had Zedd perform the Spell of Undoing. At this point she would be dead, her corpse unburied, rotted in the sun. She would be unmourned by all except Cara and given all of the evil she must have done for Darken Rahl, it would only be proper. She owed it to Richard and Zedd that not only was she alive but also able to lead a much better life.

Richard looked puzzled, "I don't remember saving your live as well."

Dahlia had forgotten that Richard wasn't supposed to know about the Spell of Undoing and covered by saying, "I just mean for my life with Cara."

"Well if there is anything I can do to help you and Cara, just let me know."

"There may be something you can help us with but it is too early to know. In any case, I don't want to bother you on tonight of all nights."

"Well, let me know when you think it is appropriate."

As this dance ended Kahlan noticed Cara standing there and suggested to Zedd that he ask her to dance. However, Zedd said he had been unsuccessful in the past and had no intention of trying again. Kahlan said that if that were the case she would go and ask her herself. Cara was rather surprised to be asked to dance by Kahlan since she didn't think Kahlan would do something that was so non-traditional but at the same time Cara was pleased as well.

As they started dancing Cara said, "You look very lovely tonight."

"Thank you, Cara. I'm not sure I've gotten the chance to say how happy I am that you have found Dahlia. It gives me pleasure to see you so happy."

Cara nodded her head.

"I do have to say that I was a little surprised that you are with a woman. I only saw you with Leo."

"In these matters I don't concern myself with gender. Before I started serving Richard there were several Mord-Sith that I had had relationships with. They are all dead now."

"Yes, being a Mord-Sith does seem to be a hazardous occupation. Your interest in women got me thinking. You know there were times when we traveled together, especially when we were alone, and you would look at me and I couldn't quite figure out your expression but now…"

At this point Cara began to blush a little.

"Are you blushing?"

"Not at all," Cara said, turning redder by the minute.

Kahlan couldn't help laughing a little, "This is quite a day. Marrying Richard and making a Mord-Sith blush. I don't know what is the greater accomplishment," she teased.

"Kahlan, I'm sorry if I looked at you in any inappropriate way."

Kahlan laughed again, "Oh, Cara, there is no need to apologize. I'm a little flattered." Kahlan kissed Cara on the cheek. "At any rate, as I said I'm glad you found Dahlia. I hope she can make you as happy as Richard makes me."

"I'm not sure anyone can be as happy as you and Richard but we will do our best."

After this dance, Richard and Kahlan got back together and announced that there would be one final dance. Dahlia and Cara paired back up for this dance.

"You seem to have made Kahlan laugh," Dahlia said.

"Well she figured out that you are not the first woman I was attracted to."

"You've got good taste," Dahlia said. After a moment she went on, "She didn't seem offended."

"No, she said she was a little flattered."

"Well she should be."

After a little pause, Dahlia said, "Zedd told me that you were embarrassed when Richard and Kahlan kissed in front of you."

"Yes, I'm not that comfortable with public displays of affection."

"That's something we will have to work on."

"Let me know when you want to schedule a lesson."

"I was thinking right about now," Dahlia pulled Cara close and kissed her deeply.

After Dahlia had released her, Cara said, "That was nice but was it really necessary."

"I think so, after all what are you going to do on our wedding day?"

"Wedding?" Cara said a little uneasily. "The law would never allow two women to get married."

"The law is what the Mother Confessor says it is."

"And you think she will be inclined to let us get married."

"I'm not sure. I was thinking of approaching Richard first. I think it will be easier to make him see the inequity of the situation and he is less tied to tradition. He is the right person to make our case to Kahlan." After a moment Dahlia went on, "Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to marry me tonight. But don't be surprised when I do."

The dance ended. Richard and Kahlan thanked all of their guests and said good night. They left the hall to go off on their honeymoon. Dahlia and Cara were standing next to each other.

"We have one advantage," Dahlia said. "We don't have to wait until our wedding to have our wedding night."

"As I recall, it was more like a wedding afternoon and it was over a month ago."

"That was good practice," Dahlia said with a grin, "but I think we can do better."

"Well, let me know when you want to schedule a lesson."

"You should know by now that I always think that there is no time like the present."

"In this case, I agree with you." Cara leaned in and kissed Dahlia. "How was that for a public display of affection?"

"Not bad but as they say, practice, practice, practice."

Cara took Dahlia's hand and they walked out of the hall and headed back to their quarters.

7


End file.
